Linotype.



N.- 665,326. Patented '1an'. nmol.4

HALL.

L l N 0 T Y P E (Appntion mea .my 17, 1900.)

(No-Model.)

who@ @19H/mmm gm U'Nrtrnn STATES IsAIAH HALL, oF BERLIN, GERMANY,

ATENT Fries.

ASSIGNOR TO THE MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,326, dated January 1. 1901.

Application filed July 1'7, 1900.

.To all whom it Wto/y concer-n:

Be it known that I, ISAIAH HALL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in the city of Berlin, in the German Empire,

5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Linotypes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

The primary object of my invention is to avoid the necessity which now exists for casting linotype-bodies of different sizes or thicknesses according to the size of type characters formed thereon.

Heretofore linotypes have been cast with solid or substantially solid bodies having a thickness proportionate to the size of the type characters thereon. Thus there was one thick ness of body for agate, another for nonpareil, &c. This necessitated the`substitution of one lnold for another or the employment of expensive and troublesome molds capable of adjustment to produce linotypebodies differing from one another in thickness. The aim of the present invention is to avoid the necessity for this change of body and to produce a linotype of such form that all bodies may be cast in the first instance of one and the same size regardless of the size of the type-face to appear on them, the body being adapted to be practically trimmed or shaved away, so as to reduce its thickness to a greater or less extent, according to the size of the type characters thereon. Thus a body cast wide enough on lthe face to carry pica faces may receive a brevier or other face smaller than pica, in which case it is to be trimmed away on the side to a thickness appropriate for the brevier faces. To this end I form the linotype with a relatively thin body portion and with a relatively wide upper face or edge to bear the type characters, this upper edge overhanging the body on one side and being supported by a series of ribs on the 45 side of the body thereunder. These ribs being shaved away flush with the edge of the overhanging shelf or face and parallel with the opposite side of the body serve the double purpose of sustaining the overhanging lip or 5o shelf and of maintaining the proper space between and the parallelism of the slugs when Serial No. 23,899. (No model.)

they are assembled side by side in the galley or form.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of' my improved linotype. 55 Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the same on the line 2 2. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through a series of the linotypes.

Referring to Fig. 1, '2 represents the body of my linotype, preferably in the form of a flat 6o slug. is the upper edge or face of the linotype,`made wider than the body portion and having the type characters 4 formed thereon. It will be observed that by reason of its width the upper edge overhangs one side of the body in the form of a lip, ledge, or shelf.

From the under side of this shelf ribs '7 extend downward on the side of the body portion, terminating at or near the base. The surfaces of the ribs are preferably flush with 7o the vertical edge of the lip or shelf 5, and the vertical faces are all parallel with the opposite face of the body, so that when a series of slugs are assembled on edge side by side, as shown in Fig. 3, the ribs of one linotype will bear against the smooth surface of the next, and thus the linotypes will be held in vertical position and supported one against the other, so that they may be locked tightly together in the form. The shelf or lip 5 may 8o be of greater or less thickness, and the ribs 7 may be varied in size, form, and number at will, provided they are adapted to operate in the manner above indicated.

lt will be perceived that if the type characters formed on a linotype-body such as above described are of large size little or no cutting away of the lip 5 and rib 7 will be necessary; but if the type-faces are small, so that the upper face of the linotype is unduly wide, the 9o edges of the shelf and ribs may be readily trimmed or shaved away by shaving devices, such as are now used in all linotype-machines, thus reducing the total thickness of the slug to an extent appropriate to the type-face thereon. l

The manufacture of linotypes of a maximum thickness, to be trimmed away more or less according to the size of the face thereon, is rendered practicable by the fact that in all roo linotypemachines the type characters are cast in an inverted position and are alined from the top, there being a constant line with which the faces are alined at the top regardless of their size. This fact, it will be observed, will bring the small type mainly over the body portion of the linotype, so that the surplus portions of the ribs and shelf may be cut away without alfecting the characters.

It is to be observed that the slug may be constructed on my plan with an unbroken or continuous upper surface and that when a series of these slugs are locked up in a form the vertical edge of the overhanging portion of one slug will fit tightly against the vertical side face of the next slug, thus producing a form without openings in its surface. This is of decided advantage in the production of electrotype and stereotype plates therefrom, since it prevents the plastic or other material employed for the matrix from working down between the slugs.

ln addition to the other advantages attend ing the construction of a linotype-slug in the manner above indicated is the fact that slugs to carry large faces may be made of much less weight than the solid slugs heretofore in use. This reduces the quantity of metal employed and permits the metal to chill and set quickly in the mold. The construction is also advantageous in that the amount of metal to be cut away by the trimming-knife is very small, so that the knife may perform its office easily and without danger of distorting the slug.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The improved linotype having a broad upper face with the type characters thereon, the relatively thin body portion, and the ribs on the body sustaining the overhauging portion of the face.

2. A linotype having an unbroken upper face, a relatively thin slug or body to sustain the same, and ribs extending from the overhanging portion of lthe face downward on the body, said ribs and the vertical edge of the overhanging part being flush with each other and parallel with the opposite side of the slug, whereby the slugs are adapted to be locked together and to produce a form without openings in its surface.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ISAIAII HALL.

Witnesses:

WOLDEMAP. HAUPT, HENRY HASPER. 

